It is no secret that state policies in this country continue to be influenced by the church. The very constitution is built on the fundamental beliefs of Christianity. So how can a government say it protects members of the LGBT community when this type of blatant discrimination is being encouraged and spread through the media?

This Sunday, the 88th annual Academy Awards will air. One film that will garner considerable attention at the ceremonies will be Carol, which earned an impressive six Oscar nominations in categories that include Best Adapted Screenplay. The movie is an adaptation of The Price of Salt, a 1952 romance novel by Patricia Highsmith, which was written at a time where lesbian fiction could be deemed obscene and seized by the authorities if the women were not portrayed as misguided, making choices that led to a bad end.

We are told that the prohibition of homosexuality is black and white in Islam. Comparisons are often made between sins like eating pork, drinking wine, committing adultery and homosexuality. However, all such arguments do not reflect a reasonable understanding of Islamic law, which is meant for the welfare of human beings and not for sole subjugation.

Recently, American Muslim activist Linda Sarsour broached the issue of LGBT Muslims, among other issues on the Al Jazeera program UpFront. She raised the concern of creating spaces to bring LGBT Muslims closer to Islam. Those involved in the discussion were cissgender males, one of whom equated same-sex unions with drugs and alcohol on the basis that both are considered sins. If the objective was to create safe spaces for marginalized LGBT Muslims, then the discussion failed.

Society's standards have moved so far from what is truly important, that instead of people trying to be true themselves and accepting their socio-economic circumstances, which isn't bad for many of us, we are working hard to 'fit in' and fit in I did to the point of depression.

Throughout most of history, homosexuality or lesbianism was so taboo that it was kept well hidden from public view. No wonder such forms of carnal or romantic pleasure were referred to as "the love that dare not speak its name." In reality, however, society was anything but mute on the topic.

After being chastised by my own country of birth for coming out as a lesbian in April of this year and speaking out against the discrimination and harassment I had endured, I began to think that our Caribbean LGBTQ community would simply have to crawl back into our holes of pain and isolation and with muzzles over our mouths. That was until Marlon James!

I teamed up with Diply and Tech Alley of ISP Canada and we took sex-tech to a whole new level that neither of them thought was accessible. We 3D-printed a ribbed for your pleasure (as expected) blue dildo, and time lapsed the whole thing for your viewing entertainment -- because, that's what I do.

Gay Muslims living in straight marriages end up exploiting "practicing sisters" and are fully abetted by clueless "Imams" who claim that they know many Muslims who have overcome their feelings through living a "good, Islamic way of life." Such Imams and gay Muslims are more concerned about identity politics than about human dignity and justice.

The Supreme Court of Canada has held that the Quebec government is infringing on the religious freedom of Loyola High School to require it to teach the Christianity portion of this course from a neutral, rather than a Christian, perspective. The Supreme Court of Canada has effectively held that the Charter's fundamental freedom of religion provision trumps the Charter's equality rights.

If the "Lake of Fire" fiasco that cost the Wildrose the last election is any indication, Albertans overwhelmingly vote against a party that smells of promoting homophobia, so there is no need to seek a "safe middle ground" on this wedge issue. In fact, the "middle ground" is not so politically safe for right wing parties. In two years, it will be far less safe. So why is Prentice talking tough but actually equivocating on an issue for which he clearly has overwhelming public support?

Different-sex parents, apparently, have a few things to learn about how to run a household from same-sex parents. New evidence concludes that because same-sex couples allocate household chores based on each individual parent's suitability for the job, rather than on gender stereotypes, children from those homes are growing up in happier and more harmonious family environments.

As we ponder the "religious freedom" of Trinity Western University to enact its "Covenant," the time is ripe to reflect once more on how we arrive at our moral beliefs. The bad news, (but hardly new news), is that TWU wants to also inject into the institutional equation their "moral" policies.

The truck driver tells us to trust him (apparently, this was enough for us to believe that he wasn't a serial killer) and opens up the back of the truck. And of course, anytime the back of a truck opens, you're obliged to look in. Sure enough, costumes. An abundance of them, along with heels I made sure to take note of and purchase later on.

Trinity Western University: Their "values" have once again come under scrutiny with their recent desire to have their own shiny law school. The most interesting part of TWU's covenant is the voluntary, obligatory commitment to abstain from "sexual intimacy that violates the sacredness of marriage between a man and a woman." In other words, no gay fornical kabootling. It's shameful thinking. Especially in Canada.

Did you hear about the Drag Queen Ken-Barbie? It "came out" with three, count 'em, three of Barbie's dresses? Mike, a Barbie-loving, 30-something year-old man who never left home would know all about that. Barbie seems to have turned into something of a gay icon. The coming out process is two-fold: "They disclose their sexuality. They profess their love for Barbie."

Years ago I found out that someone I love is gay. I was instructed to love the sinner and hate his sin. My fidgeting became loud and urgent. How could I be part of a community that knowingly marginalized? I watched his faith circle adjust to the news of his homosexuality. Christianity framed our world in a way that created this need for a period of mourning over something sacred. Personal. None of our goddamn business.

My best friend for a quarter century has been "out of the closet" all of his life. Me -- since I was 26. We find we agree on almost everything except Mariah Carey, Katy Perry and gay pride. He calls Pride "a bunch of half-naked gays taking up space on a main street -- why bother?" I say it is one of the most important celebrations a gay or lesbian may choose to partake in.

Call me a slow learner, but I suddenly realized why there have to be gay pride parades at all. It does not matter if it is a big city, small city, Canada or the U.S. There are not enough straight people supporting homosexual rights. And I couldn't help but wonder when the day will come that there will be no need for a Pride Parade.

Law students and associations across Canada have a bone to pick with Trinity Western University's aspirations to be Canada's first Christian law school. Given that it's controversial and it involves conservative Christians, no surprise it's also about sex. Still less surprise, it's about same-sex. Whenever someone is arguing for something, it's fair and often quite enlightening to look for his or her basic operating assumption. The conservative Christian obsession with homosexuality is no secret, but what exactly is its basis?

The Boy Scouts of America are debating opening their clubs to the gay community. Obviously this has led to controversy. When a religion imposes its view on those who do not believe, or follow a different path, there is discontent. If the Boy Scouts of America open their doors to gay boys, how does that affect the belief in God of the other boys?

One of my childhoods was happy. The B&W movies projected on our small TV screen, more often than not, contradicted the drama I was living in my own home movie reels. But there were exceptions. In fact, the images of our television's B&W movies were very real to me. Sidney Poitier was one of those images, and thankfully, he made repeat appearances.